Everything's Not Lost
by Kayzar-Hermit
Summary: Hospitalized, after 2 years of fighting in the war, Roy Mustang finds himself being expected to die. Not wanting to choose this path, he sets off on a journey through Amestris, to find his way back to his wife Riza in Risemboul Based Off Cold Mountain
1. Us and Them

Everything's Not Lost

**Chapter.1 – Us and Them**

Light crept into the hospital ward through the small gaps in the window blinds. The smell of disinfectant and dried blood surrounded every inch of the hospital. Wounded soldiers were crowding the rooms, and filling up every bed. Some beds were even placed in the corridors. When one solider passed away, he was immediately removed to allow a new solider to be placed onto the bed.

Mustang sat up in his bed, a sharp stab of pain instantly targeting the gash at the back of his neck. He looked outside of the window on his right, watching the night sky. The moon was a perfect luminous sphere. Mustang sighed, gently rubbing the bandage on his neck. It stung to touch, but over his course in the hospital, the wound had the habit of scabbing over long pieces of thread and what not. Mustang reached under the bandage, feeling the hard bumpy surface of the scab. Nothing had got caught in the scab, '_Good'_ he thought.

Mustang leaned over, sitting on his bed. He looked around, watching as different soldiers slept. Mustang rubbed his tired face, feeling exhausted. The past few days of being stuck in the hospital, being expected to die were taking the toll on him. Mustang clenched his fist, decided on what to do. In a flash, he reached into his drawer under his window, taking out a sheet of paper and a pen. He lent over the page, scratching words onto it

_Dear Riza_

_As I write this, I am thinking of you. As you know from my previous letters, I have been wounded and hospitalised, but being forced to wait in here and die is not how I want to spend, what could well be my last moments in life. I've decided I am going to come home, to Risemboul. I won't go through Central, the city will be closely guarded, and being a deserter, it will mean death for me to go through there. Hopefully this letter will reach you in time, and if so, please, do not worry about me, I shall be fine, as I hope you are. Hopefully this horrid war will end, and we can be together at last._

_Hoping this reaches you, I wish you the very best_

_Roy Mustang_

Mustang slid the letter into an envelope, writing on an address and attaching a stamp. He quickly gathered his brown service boots, dull black trousers, blue t-shirt and light-brown jacket and put them on. He then took his bag, stuffing his personals into it, a pen, a blanket, a hip flask, some bread he had saved from his lunches, as well as an old service gun. Mustang sighed as he thought of his alchemy gloves. They had been destroyed when he was hit. Mustang stuffed the gun into his trousers before walking up to his window. He flipped the latches open before sliding the window wide-open. A breeze gushed into the room, blowing Mustang's jacket out. Mustang crawled through the small window, before setting off on a brisk run into the dark night.


	2. Fog Again

**Everything's Not Lost**

**Chapter.2 – Fog (Again)**

A Cockerel crowed, sending out a screeching cry into the morning. A grey mist had settled over Risemboul, creating a dreary landscape.

Riza opened her eyes, finding herself staring at a photo of her husband. Tears attempting to swell up in her eyes, she reached out, putting the photo down on its face. Riza put her legs over the side of the bed, hauling herself off of it. She quickly slipped into her dressing gown, putting on some slippers too. She rushed out of her room, down the stairs and out of the house towards the mailbox. She opened the latch, her heart dropping at the sight of it being empty. She trudged back into the house, walking to the kitchen. She opened the drawers, searching for food. There was little food left in the house, and Riza didn't have much money left to buy any more. Riza sighed, thinking '_I can shoot a moving target, but I've completely lost the skills to look after myself…'_ Riza rubbed her head, walking upstairs and changing into something more comfortable. She went back downstairs, out of the house and into the grey mist. She walked along the dirt paths, finding herself on the main road. The houses were widely spaced out, with great big fields separating each house. Riza walked along the paths until she found herself coming close to a big yellow house. She walked up the path, passing the sign advertising auto-mail. She stepped over to the door, knocking on it 3 times. The door opened, and Riza saw an incredibly small woman looking up at her.

'Oh my…' said the small woman, 'Riza you look starved, please come in…'

Riza walked into the room, instantly feeling the warmth of the house. Pinako took her arm, leading her towards the table. She sat Riza down before walking into the Kitchen.

'Riza… what's happening?' called Pinako from the other room, 'Ever since…'

She stopped as she realised what she was about to say.

'It's ok Pinako, you can say it…'

'Ever since… Mustang left… you haven't been yourself. You used to be such a strong capable woman,'

'I know… But with everything going on… I just feel so… lost…'

Pinako reappeared, carrying a large steaming pot. She placed it on the table before walking back into the kitchen to get a bowl and a spoon. She placed the spoon in front of Riza. She then took the bowl, pouring some soup into it and handing it to Riza. Riza took the soup, eating it a little too quickly. The more she ate the more colour that seemed to appear in her face.

'Thank you so much Pinako…' she said.

'It's okay… but I am still concerned about you…'

Riza didn't answer, but instead kept on eating the soup.

'Hasn't Mustang been writing to you?'

'He did… but for the last year or so, he hasn't sent in any more letters… it makes me wonder… if…'

Riza didn't complete her sentence, but instead broke down, crying at the table. Pinako placed her hand on her back.

'There, there… it'll be okay…'

'Oh Pinako…' sobbed Riza, 'I still see him… lying there… covered in blood… I… I…'

Pinako rubbed her back, trying to comfort her.

'It wasn't your fault… and he was okay after…'

'But… I wasn't there in time then, and now if something's happened to him… I won't be there at all…'

'That won't happen, he'll come home, you'll see…'

'But… I don't know if I can cope with it…'

Pinako sighed; realising there was little she could say to help her.

'Finish off your soup, I promise everything will be okay…'

Riza finished up all the soup, feeling warmer inside. She stood up, thanking Pinako greatly for the meal, and leaving the house. Pinako rushed outside, giving her some change and telling her to buy some food. Riza thanked her again before walking down the dirt paths towards the main village. The village seemed desolate in the misty morning. Riza went over to a billboard in the middle of the village. The billboard was a memorial for fallen soldiers. Riza scanned the board, looking for any memoriam for Roy. She breathed a sigh of relief upon not finding one. She went over to the greengrocers, purchasing a variety of vegetables with Pinako's money. She left the village carrying a bag full of vegetables. Riza walked along the paths, back to her home. She looked to her left as she passed the ruins of the Elric house. She remembered as years ago, the two Elric brothers were in there, changing their fates forever. Riza walked on, finding herself at her front door. Just as she was about to open the lock, there was a cough from behind her. Riza turned around, finding a blonde-haired girl looking at her.

'Pinako said you're going through a bit of a rough patch, and she sent me over to come help you out.'

Riza looked at her oddly, not knowing what exactly to say. The girl laughed.

'What's wrong Riza, cat got your tongue?'

Riza shook her head, still not knowing what to say. The girl giggled.

'We have a spare room at our house; it'd be nice if you could come over. Pinako's leaving on a business trip, and I may need the help,'

Riza was still confused. After a while she managed to find the words to say, but all she managed was

'Uh…'

'Riza, just come over…'

Riza stepped away from her door, following the girl. She led her along the path and towards Pinako's house. When they got there, Pinako was outside, busying herself making sure her bag was shut tight. She hauled the bag over her shoulder, walking towards the girl.

'Thanks for taking care of everything Winry,' she said.

'Any time!' exclaimed Winry. Pinako laughed, walking away from the house.

'Make sure she helps around the house,' she called back. Winry and Riza watched as she disappeared into the mist.

'Right then! Time to get started,'

Before Riza could say anything, she found herself being dragged into the house. The house was clean, apart from the abundance of metal limbs lying on the tables.

'Tell me, Riza, do you know anything about automail?'

Riza shook her head, Winry laughed.

'Right, then we have a lot to get started!'


	3. I See Red

**Everything's Not Lost **

**Chapter.3 – I See Red**

Roy found himself walking along a dirt path. There were many large empty fields surrounding him. Roy looked around. The fields were deserted now that it was winter. Roy shivered, feeling the cold biting into him.

There was a sudden stab of pain in Roy's neck. Roy flinched, immediately touching his wound. The rag he had tied around it felt disgustingly moist. Roy stopped walking, reaching his hands around his neck and untying the bandage. He pulled it away and looked at it, his heart racing as he saw a patch of blood on it. He dropped the rag, immediately touching his wound again. He could feel the bumps of the scab, and a small area where the scab had rubbed off. Roy winced as he touched the small area. Roy turned his gaze down, looking at the floor. His bandage was all bloody and tattered. Roy sighed, reaching up his left arm with his right hand. He grabbed part of his shirt, and tugged as hard as he could. There was a loud tearing sound as Roy ripped the fabric apart. He brought his hand from out his sleeve, looking at the torn cloth. He reached around, trying the cloth around his wound. He made a knot at the front, and continued his walk, making a mental note of where he was on his journey. The hospital was very far south of Central, and Risemboul was to the west of central, making Roy's journey mostly northwest. He had been walking for 2 days, and by his reckoning, he had another 2-3 weeks of walking left before he made it back to Risemboul. Roy sighed; disappointed by the fact he had to walk through unfamiliar territory. '_If I could go through Central, then I could go to the places I recognise… now I have to go to places I hardly know… who knows what kind of people are there!' _

Roy looked around, looking for any sign of life. Everywhere he turned, it was deserted. Roy sighed, trudging further along the path. He then heard the sound of footsteps. Roy turned around, instantly taking out his gun. He watched as a group of 5 people, 2 adults and 3 children stopped in their tracks. Roy put his gun away and held up his hands.

'Hey you…' he called. The male adult looked up at him, 'Can you tell me where I am?'

The male looked to his family, and then back at Roy, not answering.

'I asked if you know where I am…' Roy asked. The man looked back at his family again, whispering something to them. As a group, they all walked along, heading into the field.

'Hey wait!' shouted Roy. There was a sudden gunshot, and the family ran. Roy looked around, diving into a ditch. He found himself submersed in muddy ditchwater and reeds. Roy took out his gun, and peered out of the ditch. He watched as 4 soldiers on horses rode around, firing their weapons.

'There they are!' shouted one, pointing to the field. Roy watched as each of the soldiers fired their weapons at the family. Each member fell down, landing in the mud. They had no chance. Roy cocked his weapon, pointing it at one of the riders.

'Come on! We've got to go report…' said one of the soldiers, a young blonde solider, 'how long is the ride till South Headquarters?'

'On these horses… 5 days,' answered another soldier.

'5 days? Why weren't we given cars or something?' asked the blonde one.

'Brigadier General said scouting is easier on horses…' answered another one, a large soldier with brown hair and a beard, 'plus anyway, most of the roads are closed anyway'

'What about trains? Can't we take one of them up?' asked the blonde one.

'Closed too… come on, if we get going now, we can be up at the pub for 6,'

'Way! I'm on for that!' said the blonde one. He reared up on his horse, riding down the path towards Roy. Roy bent down as low as he possibly could, listening as each rider rode past his hiding place. Roy breathed deeply, listening closely as the sound of the riders diminished. He slowly peered out from the ditch, watching as the soldiers disappeared as specks on the horizon. Roy clambered out of his hiding place. Feeling uncomfortably wet. He turned to the field on his right, looking at the family who had been gunned down by the soldiers. Birds were already flying down, ready to feast on the bloody corpses. Roy turned his head away, walking after soldiers.


	4. Wires to Flying Birds

**Everything's Not Lost **

**Chapter.4 – Wires to Flying Birds**

'Wake up! Time to start the day!'

Riza opened an eye, immediately spotting the happy smiling face of Winry Rockbell. Riza turned over in her bed.

'Now that's not how we start our days at the Rockbell Automail shop!' shouted Winry enthusiastically. She grabbed at Riza's duvet, pulling it off of the bed. Riza felt the cold immediately

'Hey…' she said.

'No heys here! Get up, and get dressed, we've got a lot of work to do!'

Riza sighed, sitting up on her bed and rubbing her eyes. When she opened them again she found clothes being thrown in her face. Riza pulled the cloth away from her face and looked at it.

'Overalls?' she inquired.

'Just put them on…' Winry said, leaving the room, 'And be down here in 5 minutes!'

Riza smiled, looking at the overalls. They were blue and felt rough. Riza stood up, getting changed into her trousers and black t-shirt. She slid the overalls over herself, and stood in the mirror looking at herself. She shook her head at herself before walking out of her room. She walked downstairs, smelling the smell of cooked food. She smiled to herself again, walking into the main room. Winry was busying herself making breakfast.

'What's the time?' asked Riza.

'6:00! Bright and early!'

Riza stood there, almost stunned.

'6… o clock….'

'Yup! Now hurry, we have about 10 minutes to eat before we get ready for work!'

Riza wandered over to the table, sitting down. She had barely finished all of her breakfast when 10 minutes were up. Riza then found herself being pulled away from her eggs and bacon and forced down some stairs and into a basement. Metal limbs were hung all over the place, and boxes of metal scraps and wires surrounded the floors.

'What are we doing today then?' asked Riza

'Today, we make automail…' answered Winry 'to make automail, you need the necessary components…' Winry bent down, picking up a box, 'Take this upstairs to the work station, and don't drop anything!'

Riza took the box, taking it up the stairs. She placed the box down on the table and opened it, looking at its contents. Inside where strips of thick metals and an abundance of screws and bolts. Riza picked up a screw, looking at it. She groaned as she realised she had no idea what to do. She then heard a loud clattering sound as Winry made her way up the stairs. Riza watched as Winry entered the room, carrying 3 boxes stacked on top of each other. Winry swayed from one side of the room to the other, the boxes daring to fall off. Winry darted forward, landing the boxes on the table. Riza giggled for a moment. Winry stood up, maintaining her composure.

'Right! Today, you learn how to make automail!'

'Automail?' asked Riza

'Yes!' shouted Winry 'Making your automail is the first step to surviving alone as a woman!' She clutched a screwdriver close to her heart. Riza groaned.

'Right… what do I do first?' asked Riza. Winry grinned, holding out her hand. In it, she was holding a screwdriver.

'You make automail!' she said. 'I'll teach you like I was taught, the best way!'

Riza groaned picking up a spanner unenthusiastically. The next 5 hours crawled really slowly for Riza, and by the time it was up, she hadn't managed to build a joint yet.

'The key is to link each wire up without making the metal casing press on any. You've got to try loop them in…'

Riza tried to use Winry's advice, but it seemed hopeless. By the time another hour had passed, Riza was tired and irritable.

'Right, time to stop for lunch…' said Winry, 'You're getting there, but it's going to take a lot more work from you…'

'Can't we take a break Winry?' asked Riza, 'I'm just tired from building and want to rest…'

'We're going to have lunch, but at 1 it's back to work…'

Riza sighed, accepting it all. She looked out of the window, looking at the telephone cables. A bird was hovering over it, finding a place to perch. It landed in the middle of the cable, nestling itself. Riza smiled, taking a deep breath of air. She looked at the telephone wire, sighing at the knowledge that the telephone cables were out. Riza glanced at Winry, who was busying herself making the lunch. Riza turned her head back to the window, looking at the telephone wire again. The bird had flown away.


	5. Is There Anybody Out There?

**Everything's Not Lost **

**Chapter.5 – Is There Anybody Out There?**

Roy rubbed his head. Despite the freezing cold weather, he could still feel sweat on his forehead. Roy concentrated, listening to every detail possible. He had heard the sound of a stream, and had wandered into the forest to find the stream. Roy turned his gaze upwards, looking at the night sky. The moon had lit the forest an ominous colour, sending shadows in every direction. Roy took a deep breath and continued searching for the stream. After 5 minutes of walking, Roy found it. He found himself atop a small hill overlooking the stream. He clambered down, stepping over to the stream. He dug into his pockets, taking out a hip flask and filling it with water. He then heard footsteps and immediately dropped the hip flask and took out his gun.

'Who goes there?' growled Mustang.

A figure appeared from the shadows, his hands raised above his head. He stepped forward into the moonlight, and Mustang looked at him. He was a short large man with short brown curly hair and a light beard. Mustang held up his gun.

'What's your business here?' he asked.

'I could ask the same of you!' said the man. Mustang cocked his gun, hoping to threaten him. The man stood back, holding up his hands again. Mustang grinned.

'I'll ask again, what are you doing here?'

'Minding my own business if you must know, and I beg of you to do the same,'

Mustang sighed, rubbing his head.

'What's your name then?' asked Mustang.

' Finn,'

'And what are you doing Finn?'

'I'm afraid I cannot say, for if I did it would mean my life…'

'Tell me anyway,' said Mustang. Finn took a deep breath and let it out.

'I'm a deserter… I've run away from my military platoon, yet I feel I don't deserve to be shot, so I'll thank you if you decide not too…'

'I'm not going to shoot you,' said Mustang.

'Oh… thank you…'

'I am a deserter too, but only cause my situation called for it. I'm trying to get back to Risemboul.'

'Risemboul?' exclaimed Finn, 'isn't that a bit far away?'

'It is, but it is highly important I get there,'

'I see, then why not take the boat down the river? It'll be there in the morning, but it should cut some time out from your journey…'

'A boat?'

'Yes, I could show you the way if you want… if you wouldn't mind helping me with something…'

'What exactly…' groaned Mustang

'I need protecting… There are people looking for me… ironically, same people who are looking for you… You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours, deal?'

Mustang thought about it for a moment. The last thing he needed was someone dragging him back, but then again… he wasn't familiar with this area, and could do with the help. After a few more moments he held out his hands.

'Deal' he said. Finn shook his hand, tremendously happy.

'Oh boy… thank you… you've no idea what this means to me!' he jumped forward, hugging Mustang. Mustang frowned, forcing him off of him.

'Get off…' he snarled, 'No need to get like that…'

'Sorry…'

'So, what time does this… boat come at?' asked Mustang. Finn thought for a moment.

'About 7 in the morning… I know a place we can haul up for the night though,'

Mustang watched as Finn walked away from the ravine. He turned around, beckoning to Mustang to follow him. Mustang stepped over, following Finn through the dark forest.


	6. Remember A Day

**Everything's Not Lost**

**Chapter.6 – Remember A Day**

For 2 weeks, Riza had been working at the Rockbell Automail Shop. She found herself surprisingly adept at working with spanners and screwdrivers, as well as an ability to assemble different parts together quicker than Winry ever could.

Riza sat at the table, screwing a bolt into its hole. She tightened the bolt and held up an automail hand. She smiled at her handiwork.

'Well done!' exclaimed Winry, taking the automail. Riza wiped her brow.

'Design isn't great, but it should hold together pretty well…'

'Agreed…' replied Winry, 'you've had practice assembling things before right?'

'You've seen me with my firearms… it's a piece of cake once you know the general design…'

Riza smiled, turning her gaze and looking out of the window. The sky was grey from the cold weather. Riza sighed. Winry noticed the sigh.

'What's wrong?' she asked

'Nothing…' replied Riza.

'You thinking about Mustang again?'

Riza didn't reply, but just stared out of the window. Winry walked over to her.

'He'll come back you know…'

'How will I know though? It's been so long without any word from him… How do I know he hasn't been killed?'

'He can't have been, otherwise we'd know from the town billboard…'

Riza nodded, not saying anything. She then dropped her head into her hands, crying. Winry stepped back, unsure of what to do. She placed Riza's automail on the table and placed her hand on Riza's back.

'There, there… it'll be okay, don't worry…' said Winry, patting her back.

'Every night I dream of him though… I keep remembering that time back in Central…'

'It was a long time ago, there's no need to worry about it anymore…'

'But I should be protecting him…' she sobbed 'and all I'm doing is waiting here making stupid automail!' She swung her arm out, knocking the automail off of the table and onto the floor. It bounced across the floor before lying still. Winry stepped back, not knowing what to do again.

'Riza… Why not talk about the good times you've had with Roy… if it'll help…'

Riza looked up at Winry, her eyes red from crying. She wiped her eyes, and took a deep breath in.

'You're right, I shouldn't be acting like this…' She wiped her eyes again and took another deep breath.

'So what did you want to know?' she asked Winry.

'I just thought, why not tell me about to good times you've had with Roy…' said Winry. Riza smiled, remembering some of the memories.

'I've had many wonderful moments with Roy.'

'When was the first time you felt close to Roy?' asked Winry. Riza thought about it for a moment.

'Probably this one time, I drove him home as usual, and he invited me in for a drink… turned into a light meal and a long story in the end! But that was the first time Roy invited me into his house,'

'What was his house like?'

'Surprisingly small… but very cosy and neat.'

'You know… You never told me about the time when Roy proposed…' said Winry

'I didn't? One of the best times of my life… It was a few weeks after Roy got his eyesight back. I remember how happy he was that day… He was told he'd never be able to see out of that eye again. I just remember he came into work, saying his vision seemed slightly weird, and he took off the eye patch. His eyesight was slowly coming back!'

'What did he do then?'

'He jumped with joy, and through either my fault or his, we hugged, closely. And I don't know how or why, but we kissed… oh it was so magical…'

'I bet it was…' commented Winry, smiling

'After that we began to see each other in our free time. We used to do so much… go to the theatre, go out to restaurants, or just take walks along Central's streets. The time he proposed, we had been walking along Central, up along the river. It was nighttime, and the stars were shining in the sky. We were crossing over a small bridge over to the other side of the river, when he suddenly stopped, and leant on the railing. I stepped over to him, linking my arm with his. He seemed deep in thought…'

'Did he say anything?'

'I asked him what he was thinking, and he answered by saying 'I'm thinking of how I should do this properly,' I asked him what and he didn't say anything. It took him about 5 minutes for him to get down on his knee and propose to me. My heart was racing when I saw him get on his knee. He dug into his pocket, taking out a small box, which he opened. And inside, was this,'

She held up her hand, showing Winry her engagement ring. Winry looked at the ring, it was a gold ring with a diamond encrusted into it.

'Wow, it's beautiful,' she said

'I know… That's how he proposed to me though… May not seem like much to some people but for me, it was just perfect…'

'I can imagine…' said Winry

'That though, is one of the best time's I've had with Roy… what was best though was from that moment on, it only got better… until…'

She suddenly stopped as she remembered. Winry looked down, feeling awkward. She sighed, looking away and out of the window. She turned to face Riza again.

'You okay?' she asked her. Riza nodded. Winry smiled.

'Come on then!' shouted Winry, jumping to her feet, 'We've got more work to do!'

Riza stayed seated at the table, staring off into the distance. Winry nudged her gently.

'Riza… I said we have a bit more work to do…'

Riza stayed seated still for another moment.

'If you don't mind, I'd like to just stay here for a moment…'

Winry nodded, walking away. She put her hand on the storage room door, turning once more to check on Riza. She sighed, opening the door and walking through.


	7. Across The River

**Everything's Not Lost**

**Chapter.7 – Across The River**

Mustang looked up at the grey skies. Three black crows flew overhead, gliding across the air, going southward. Mustang sighed, wiping his head. Himself and Finn were standing at a small wooden dock by a fairly wide river.

'So where is this boat, ferry thing?' asked Mustang testily. Finn looked at him oddly before finally catching on.

'Oh yeah… I'm not sure what's going on, it's usually here by this time.'

Mustang groaned, tapping his foot impatiently. He looked up, hearing the sound of a small motor. Slowly coming towards them was a small boat with a motor hanging off of the back. An old man was riding at the front, his hair blowing behind him. Behind him at the motor, was a young woman with light brown hair. She had an almost bored expression on her face. Mustang blushed for a moment.

'Just you two?' asked the old man.

'If you don't mind,' said Finn 'We're just looking to get down to the cove,'

'Bit of a far journey… you got enough?'

Finn reached into his pockets, taking out some crumpled notes. He handed them over to the old man who looked at the notes and held them up to the light. He grinned a satisfied grin before turning to Finn and Mustang again.

'Right, Miranda here will take you up, just make sure not to get spotted by the military'

Mustang glanced to the side for a brief moment, feeling a momentary rush of panic. He watched as the old man clambered out of the small boat, guiding Mustang and Finn into it. Mustang tried to sit at the front of the boat, but was shoved over by Finn to the back of the boat. Mustang found himself sitting in the middle of the boat, right in front of Miranda. He blushed again as Miranda started up the motor, turning the boat around and down the river. Mustang averted his gaze towards the passing scenery. Tall trees were scattered all along the riverbed, some stretching incredibly high up. There was a lack of leaves upon nearly every tree, and any tree with leaves had only a few red and brown leaves. The grey sky made matters worse, giving everything a seemingly more ominous feel. Miranda seemed to sense Mustang's discomfort.

'Something wrong?' she asked. Mustang turned to her. She had bright blue eyes, and a thin set of lips. Mustang turned away.

'No, there is not,' he said, almost harshly. Miranda giggled.

'What's so funny?' he asked.

'You just seem so uptight, can't you relax or something?'

Mustang considered the remark, finding it fairly insulting.

'You hardly know me… and anyway, there's a lot on my mind…'

'Well why not let me help?' asked Miranda. Mustang turned to her.

'What do you mean by that?'

'I'm sure I can find a way to loosen you up,' she said, winking.

Mustang went red, before turning his head away. He felt Finn nudge him. He turned to him, looking at the grin in his face.

'You shut up…' he said to Finn. Finn and Miranda both laughed. Mustang sighed, turning his head away again. There was a sudden sound of gunfire, and everyone on the boat ducked.

'Keep down!' shouted Mustang. The gunfire continued, and Mustang could feel the splatter of water, as the bullets got closer to the boat.

'Whose firing at us?' asked Finn

'Military, they must have spotted us,' answered Mustang. The gunfire stopped, and Mustang peered out from behind the boat. On the riverbed were the 4 military soldiers he had seen the other day. The one with brown hair and a beard was pointing to the boat, as the others were firing at it.

'Damn it!' shouted Mustang. Some shots hit the boat, blasting holes into the sides of the boat. 'Jump, now!' he shouted. Mustang reached his hand over, flipping the boat over, the bullets still raging around them. Mustang found himself submersed in muddy river-water. He looked around, finding Finn swimming towards the shore. He looked around for Miranda, finding her slowly sinking. Mustang swam down, grabbing her and pulling her towards Finn. He kicked his legs, struggling to swim across to the shore. Mustang turned upwards, blasting through the surface and breathing in deep breaths of air. He spotted the guards taking aim, and Mustang immediately ducked, swimming with all his might away from the soldiers. In the muddy water he could see the shots blasting through the water. One shot clipped his arm, forcing him to let go of Miranda. Mustang, struggling for breath, reached out and grabbed her with his other hand, kicking his legs again towards the surface. He broke the surface again, looking around desperately for Finn. He spotted him on the riverbed, reaching out to help him. Mustang swam over as quickly as possible, hearing the sound of the soldiers running over to get better aim. He pulled Miranda over, giving her to Finn. Finn picked her up in his arms, running into the forest. Mustang grabbed the side of the river, hauling himself out of the water, his wet clothes weighing him down. He clambered up the side of the riverbed, dragging himself up the side. He glanced around for a brief moment, looking at the 4 soldiers as they tried to take aim. Mustang dived behind a tree as gunshots were fired again. Mustang took a deep breath before running after Finn. Behind him, he could hear the guards swearing as he got away. After no time at all, he caught up with Finn, who was struggling to run and support the weight of Miranda.

'How is she?' asked Mustang, panting as he ran.

'Hurt, one of the bullet hit her,'

Mustang swore as he stopped Finn. He took Miranda, laying her on the floor. She had been knocked unconscious by a stray bullet that clipped her forehead. Mustang, still panting for breath, looked down, spotting the wound in her chest.

'Shit,' he swore, swiping his forehead. He placed his hand on her chest, feeling her slowing heartbeat.

'Damn it, help me!' he shouted to Finn.

'How?' he asked dumbly.

'Just help!' he shouted, 'She's dieing!'

Mustang placed both of his hands on her chest, pushing down, trying to get her heart started. Nothing was happening, and tears were forming in Mustang's eyes.

'Damn it! I cannot let another innocent person die!'

Finn watched as Mustang continued his impossible task. Unable to watch, he turned his head, as Mustang swore and shouted obscenities.

'Damn! Damn, damn, damn!' he shouted, pounding the hard ground. Finn walked over, resting his hand on his shoulder.

'I'm sorry…'

Mustang said nothing, but instead got onto his feet, and walked away. Finn rushed after him, walking in silence behind him.


	8. 滴いっぱいの記憶 A Drop Filled With Memories

**Everything's Not Lost**

**Chapter.8 -****滴いっぱいの記憶 ****(A Drop Filled With Memories)**

'What was the wedding like?"

Riza turned around, looking at Winry. They'd been busy making more automail to coincide with a shipment for next week. Riza scratched her head. She hadn't thought about her wedding for a long while.

'My wedding?' she said, 'Jeez… Such a long time ago…'

Winry watched as Riza put down her hammer and walked over to the table, sitting down. She seemed deep in thought. Winry approached her.

'Something wrong?' she asked, 'was it something I said?'

'No, no…' replied Riza, 'it's fine… I just haven't thought about it in such a long while it's… odd'

She stayed silent again, and Winry shuffled uncomfortable.

'Let's walk…' Riza said, standing up and walking out of the house. Winry looked around, confused as to Riza's motive. In the end she shrugged her shoulders, putting down her spanner in her pocket and walking out of the house. The weather was cold and grey, forcing Winry to rush back inside and take her sweater. She slipped it on, rushing back outside and looking around for Riza. She had walked quite a distance, and Winry found herself running in order to catch up. In no time at all, she found herself by Riza's side. During their journey, they said nothing. Winry wanted to break the silence, but couldn't ever find the right moment. Eventually, they found themselves by a small stream, and Riza crouched down, looking at the water as it flowed through, in and over rocks and constantly wearing away at the muddy banks of the shore.

'Soon it will be a river," Riza said, pondering, "By then though, I will be long gone…''

Winry stood behind her, looking at the stream and seeing nothing more than a stream. To Riza, it meant something more symbolic. Winry knew this, and therefore stayed quiet.

'We got married 4 years ago… 2 years before this darned war… I told you how Roy proposed, and 7 months later of being engaged, it was our wedding day. There was quite a fiasco about it all. Havoc, his best man was supposed to be driving him there, but along the way, his car broke down. After being his typical annoyed self, Roy just got out of the car, along with Havoc, and they both ran towards the church, where I was anxiously waiting. Half an hour of standing at the alter, Roy runs in, just literally, runs into the church, right down the aisle and stands right next to me, where he just turns to the priest and says 'start'. The whole church laughed, including the priest, who chuckled for a moment before starting the whole ceremony. It was wonderful. The reception was amazing as well. Everyone was there, Havoc, Furey, Falman, and Breada… Even Roy's mother, who's an interesting women I might add. Lots of stories under her belt. It was a beautiful memory… But now, that's all it is. A memory.'

She turned around, and Winry watched as Riza walked over to her, putting her hand on her shoulder.

'Don't fall in love…' Riza said, 'No matter what happens, you'll only get hurt, even when he loves you back… All love wants to do is hurt us, and it usually always finds a way'

Riza walked away, right back up to the house, leaving Winry standing by the stream to contemplate everything Riza had just told her. After a long while of standing and thinking, Winry shook her head, snapping out of her stupor. She turned around, looking for Riza but couldn't find her. She rushed back to the house, finding Riza slowly walking up to the house on her own. Winry rushed to her side.

'Everything ok?' she asked, feeling dumb cause of the question. Riza smiled though, oddly appreciating the question.

'I'm okay Winry,' she answered, walking up to the house. Winry sighed, feeling as though something was wrong. They walked up to the house, and up to the front door. Winry stopped Riza in her tracks, noticing something was wrong.

'What is it?' Riza asked.

'Door's open…' Winry said, still not moving. Riza guessed Winry must have closed the door on her way out. There was a sudden clanging of metal from inside the house, and Winry put one foot across the threshold. Riza followed her, trying to stay as quiet as possible as to not alert the intruder. Winry reached over to the table, picking up her spanner. She had a feeling she may need to use it. She could she the intruder now, it had it's back to her, and was busy fiddling around with the automail. Winry crept up behind it, Riza quietly following behind. With a sudden burst of fury, Winry screamed, bringing down her spanner with all her might onto the intruder's head. The intruder fell to the floor, bleeding and moaning all the way. It grabbed its head, turning around and facing Winry.

'Jeez Winry, what are you trying to do, kill me?' Edward screamed.


	9. Suspicion

**Everything's Not Lost**

**Chapter.9 – Suspicion**

Roy was walking with a fairly quicker pace than normal. Finn noticed, but was wary of trying to make conversation. Roy seemed concentrated, and deep in thought. Often Finn sighed or grunted, attempting to get Roy's attention, but to no prevail. This routine of walking without talking continued for 3 days, by which Roy was very far into his journey. By his reckoning, another 3 weeks of travelling would get him there, providing he did not run into any more problems. Near the end of their third day of travelling in silence, they found themselves in front of a very solitary house. Smoke was rising from the chimney, and there were lights on indoors.

'Hey! Good finding Roy,' Finn exclaimed, 'Let's check it out!'

Finn rushed forward, only to be stopped by Roy's arm. Finn looked at Roy, who didn't seem too happy. Then he uttered the first words he'd spoken in 3 days.

'Don't, it's a bad idea,'

Finn shrugged. He didn't see anything bad about it. He moved Roy's arm out of the way, and stepping forward…

'I think it's a brilliant idea…' Finn said, 'and if you don't like it, tough,'

Roy watched as Finn walked towards the house, whistling a tune at the same time. Roy sighed, walking after him. They found themselves at the door of a very derelict looking pub. Roy sighed as Finn strolled right in with delight. The room was dreary looking. A staircase at the back led up to a balcony overlooking the Pub, and also contained doors to different rooms. The bar was underneath the balcony, spanning the length of the wall. There was a fireplace opposite the bar, burning brightly and warm. The flames reminded Mustang of the past, when he was the Flame Alchemist. He hadn't been able to find any way of doing alchemy since he started his journey. Near the fireplace, sitting down at a table were 3 women, wearing quite revealing clothes. Mustang grunted with disapproval as he walked over to the bar, sitting down next to Finn, who was busy haggling with the bartender.

'1 hour… Just 1… For the normal rate is fair…' Finn said.

'Look here,' the barman said, a medium-height middle-aged man, 'out here, the rate is 500, you don't like it, you head off elsewhere, you hear me!'

Finn frowned, reaching into his pocket and taking out some crumpled notes again. He handed them to the barman, who grinned with greed. Finn clapped his hands, rubbing them together, and grinning with lust. He winked at Roy, who didn't return the remark. The barman whistled to the women, who looked up and walked over to Roy and Finn whilst the barman served 2 drinks. Roy took his glass as one of the women wrapped an arm around him.

'Lookin' for a good time hunny?' she said seductively. Roy didn't answer, and drank more of his drink. He glanced over at Finn who sleazily stood up, walking with the two other women away from the bar, and up the stairs into one of the rooms. Roy listened as one of the girls screamed with laughter as the door slammed. Roy returned to his drink, taking another gulp, all the time the woman trying to seduce him.

'Come on…' she moaned, 'Let's go…' Roy stayed seated as the woman circled him, touching his shoulders and tugging at her dress. Roy took one glance, and returned to his drink again, all the time the sound of screaming and laughter coming from Finn's room. Roy looked up, looking for the barman. He seemed to vanish when Finn left, and Roy's paranoid streak ran wild. He gently moved the woman out of the way, as he skulked around, looking for the barman. He spotted him in one of the rooms near the bar, and watched as he made a phone-call.

'Yes…. Yes, that's right, two of them… What? … No, couldn't find that out… Oh I am sure, definitely… One of them has the look of a deserter upon him… The other looks like he's on a mission… Huh? …. Oh… middle-aged I'd say… black hair, dark eyes… round face… Seems to be growing a bit of facial hair… The other, he's nobody, short and fat… Huh? … Oh yeah, no problem… They're both pre-occupied with the women…. Just send someone down as soon as possible, right? …. Yeah… Yeah… Also, about the reward…?'

Roy watched as the barman looked at the phone disapprovingly. His heart was racing with fear. This man had obviously ratted them out. He had to tell Finn as soon as possible! He turned around, looking up at the room Finn was in. He was a sleazebag and an idiot, but he couldn't let him get taken in by the military. Most of all, he couldn't let himself be taken back in by the military. He turned around again, looking back to where the barman was, shocked slightly to find him not there. He turned around again, spotting the barman for a brief second before he was knocked unconscious by him. He didn't even remember falling.


	10. Memories and Honesty

Everything's Not Lost

**Chapter.10 –Memory and Honesty**

Melodramatic as ever, Edward Elric insisted upon having something to drink before starting his story. Alphonse joined his side, who had apparently been looking around for Winry and Pinako. Edward had grown up since she had last seen him. He'd grown taller for one thing, and his hair was much longer. Winry gave him his drink, leaning against the table as he drank it. She then screamed, throwing her spanner and hitting him.

"What the hell are you both doing back here!!" she shouted, her face an elaborate expression of emotion. Edward rubbed his head, looking annoyed at Winry.

"Jeez, wonderful hospitality," he muttered. He glanced upwards, noticing Riza standing in the background, trying to keep out of it all. Unsurprised by her presence, Ed turned back to his drink, finishing it all off.

"Being serious now," Winry said, "What are you two doing back here?"

Ed looked at Winry before sighing and leaning back in his chair.

"We deserted the war. Can't exactly continue our search to regain our bodies if we're out fighting people who haven't done anything to us," Edward said, shrugging his shoulders. Winry looked away. Part of her agreed with some of what he said, but another part of her believed in doing what was right. She opened her mouth to speak, when Riza stepped forward.

"Edward, that is completely irresponsible of you," she said, "As a state alchemist it is your duty to be there fighting for your country,"

Edward didn't say anything. He knew what she was saying was right after all. He sat back again, closing his eyes as Alphonse stepped forward.

"Please Miss. Hawkeye…" Alphonse began.

"Mustang," She said, "and you know it has been for a while,"

Edward opened up one eye, looking at Riza for a moment before closing it again and letting Alphonse speak.

"Yes of course, Mrs. Mustang… Brother wouldn't have deserted if he felt he wasn't going to be doing anything better. The thing is, we need to find our bodies, and this war… It seems so trivial and pointless in the first place. We're not helping by fighting,"

"That is besides the point," Riza said, "It is your brother's duty as a state alchemist. You though Alphonse, there is no reign upon you other than that of your brother's actions,"

Edward opened up his eye again. He then closed it before speaking.

"Alphonse goes where I go. Elementary really, how can it surprise you?" He said.

"It doesn't," Riza said. Edward shrugged his shoulders.

"What are you going to do here though?" Winry asked calmly, "If you're still searching for your bodies, what use is it being here?"

Ed opened his eyes, looking at Alphonse who was looking at him. He took in a deep breath and let it out in one big sigh.

"I need new automail…" he said, "The old model is playing up,"

Winry sighed. She then turned around, walking towards the basement.

"I'll have it ready in a few days," she said, "In the meantime, Riza will sort you out,"

Riza glanced over at Winry before looking back at Ed. She sighed as Ed began to take off his jacket and revealing a black vest underneath.

"So you're building automail now?" Alphonse inquired.

"Yes…" Riza said, grabbing a screwdriver from a nearby table and taking Edward's arm. She unscrewed a number of different screws, laying each one carefully on the table. She then slid the arm out completely, laying that upon the table as well.

"Right, I need to take off your leg now," she said to Ed. Who shrugged as he pulled up the trouser on his left leg. Riza repeated the same routine, and in minutes had his leg off as well. There was a clattering sound as Winry appeared at the top of the stairs with a number of different prototypes in her arms.

"Right Riza, see which one fits best and just temporarily put into the slots, okay?"

Riza nodded, taking the prototypes from her. Winry headed down to the basement again. Alphonse looked around before going down into the basement as well. There, he found Winry rummaging around certain drawers, trying to find the right equipment. She took out a piece of metal, as well as a helmet, which she put over her head.

"I know you're there Alphonse," she said, "Stealth was never your strongest point,"

"I know, I know," Alphonse said, "I just wanted to talk. Riza seems different."

Winry glanced at Alphonse before returning to her workstation and putting a piece of metal into a vice before pulling her helmet down and blowtorching it.

"Riza's going through a really rough time," Winry said, "She's not handling being separated from Roy that well,"

Alphonse stepped back. Part of it was quite surprising, considering how strong Riza was. It seemed odd for her to be emotionally broken by something.

"What's happened to Mustang though?" Alphonse asked. Winry stopped using the blowtorch, pulling up the helmet and looking at Alphonse.

"I was hoping you could tell me. You were fighting in the same war,"

"True enough, but Edward was posted in a different division. We never saw Mustang nor heard any stories of where he is,"

Winry sighed, bothered by the revelation. She pulled her helmet down again and went back to work on the piece of metal.

"I just hope Mustang is okay though… Even I'm beginning to dread the day when that letter comes in telling us he's been killed…"


	11. Escape

Everything's Not Lost

**Chapter.11 – Escape**

When Mustang came too, he found himself in the back of a large truck. It was the first automobile he had seen since he started his journey, and it was one taking him to his death. Mustang sighed, dropping his head and focusing on the shaking floor. It was there he noticed his feet had been shackled together with chains that connected him to every other man on the truck. All their hands where tied up too. He'd blown it. All he had been doing, gone, in a flash. The landlord had sold them out, him and Finn. He glanced around, looking for Finn, but couldn't recognise his face amongst the others who were in the truck. They all bore the same facial expression of regret and disappointment. Each and every one of them in the truck was being taken away from their goal, and being brought to a much less glamorous ending. Death.

The truck stopped, and Mustang heard voices as the guards contemplated what to do with the people on the trucks. Mustang looked around, desperately seeking some angle in which he could escape his fate. A plan formulated in his head, but before he had a chance to think it all through, the back of the truck opened, and the military guards stood, grinning at the people in the truck. The prisoner closest to the door was taken by the arm, and hauled out of the truck. He was told to march along up the hill, and he guided everyone out of the truck, who all got out in sequence. Mustang slowly followed the man in front of him, but stopped when he came to the guard.

"Cigarette?" he asked. The guard looked at him oddly, taking out a packet of cigarettes and lighting one, giving it to Mustang. Mustang thanked the guard before being jerked along by the marching prisoners. He found himself being marched up the hill, where they all stood in a line. Mustang looked around, his cigarette still burning at the end of his mouth. He spotted the guards call an order, and they all raised their guns up, pointing them at the prisoners upon the hill. Quick as a flash, Mustang fell to the floor, dropping his cigarette and catching it in his hands. He quickly drew a transmutation circle on the floor, and before the guards had any idea of what was going on, he had made an explosion on the hill which blew his shackles off his hands. He turned and ran, heading towards a forest where he quickly found some cover. His heart was beating faster and faster, and when he looked down, he noticed his hands where injured and bloody from the explosion he had created. He swore as he realised the amount of pain he was actually in. He glanced back once, listening as various guards shouted and swore as the other prisoners began escaping. There were a series of gunshots, aimed in different directions. Roy clenched his teeth as he turned his back, running away from the chaos. He didn't have any idea where the truck had taken him, but he had a feeling that he was near Central. If he headed east, he might just be able to make it to Risemboul in a couple of days. He continued to run, constantly glancing back to check if anyone was chasing him. He found to his luck that nobody was chasing him, and in an hour he had managed to cover quite some distance between himself and the guards. He stopped walking, finding himself near a stream that was running through the woods. He bent down, washing his sore hands in the cool water. He then carefully lapped up the water in his cupped hands, drinking the water before washing his face. He took a deep breath of air in, looking around as he decided which way to go. He decided to follow the river, hoping that it might just lead him to Risemboul.


	12. Memorial

Everything's Not Lost

**Chapter.12 – Memorial**

Winry wandered down to the basement where she found Riza busy working on the automail for Ed. He'd foolishly taken to wandering around Risemboul, despite the price on his head now that he was officially a deserter also. Alphonse was busy following him, the two of them reminiscing about their days of youth when they wandered around the green fields, without much care in the world. Winry sighed. She too missed those days, but years of growing up isolated in a small village had turned her into a strong capable woman. She had no time for her childhood anymore.

"How's it coming along?" Winry asked, looking at Riza's progress. She had developed quite a lot since her first arrival at the Rockbell's house. Riza sighed, putting down her screwdriver.

"I'm just missing him. There's not been any word about him whatsoever. I'm so worried that something's happened to him, and that I could be there to help him."

Winry sighed, walking over and placing her hand on Riza's shoulder.

"How about we go for a walk?" she suggested, "You could do with the fresh air,"

Riza looked up and nodded. She slowly got up, walking out of the basement as Winry followed her. They walked up the steps into the main room, and towards the door. From the window, they could see that it had snowed, and a thick layer of white snow had covered nearly the entirety of Risemboul.

"Snow…" Riza said, "It's winter already?"

Winry nodded as she got hers and Riza's coat. She handed Riza her coat as she slipped into her own, and together, they both walked out of the house and into the cold snowy landscape. They wandered slowly down the path, the snow crunching under their footsteps. Riza smiled as she looked back, seeing the sets of deep footprints they had created in the snow. Winry glanced back and continued to walk, away from the house and through the fields. They didn't speak as they walked, the two of them feeling that the beauty of the snowy landscape didn't require words to describe it. They both walked until they ended up near the graveyard, where they saw Edward and Alphonse, standing by a gravestone. They both walked over to them, and Edward looked up as they came closer. He didn't say anything, but turned his gaze back to the gravestone. Winry stepped forward; unsurprised to see 'Trisha Elric' carved into the stone. The snow had covered the gravestone, and it was a poignant image to see the stone sticking out from the ground, surrounded completely by the snow.

"It's been… so long since we last visited her," Edward said. No one replied. There wasn't any need to. Winry nodded as she remembered the many times she'd seen Edward and Alphonse sat by the gravestone. They all stood there by her gravestone, Winry saying a short prayer to herself. Edward and Alphonse then walked away, whilst Winry and Riza followed them. They both walked away from the graveyard and through the snow until eventually they came to a large hill. Upon the hill stood the charred ruins of a house that once stood there. Floods of memories rushed back to Winry as she remembered the time she stood there with Pinako, hoping the best for the Elric brother's future. Alphonse walked forward, stepping into the snowy charred ruins.

"This was where the kitchen was… And this was Dad's study." He said, pointing to various spots that all looked the same to Riza and Winry. "Over here is where you dropped all the books on me," he said to Edward, who smiled back as he remembered the memory.

"It sure has been such a long time since then," he said. Winry nodded again, as she turned around to give Edward and Alphonse some space. They walked through the snow, heading back towards the house.

"Sometimes you forget," said Riza. Winry looked up, and for the first time in a long time, she didn't see a face that had hit rock bottom. Riza looked slightly more headstrong, as though a realisation of something had kicked her into perspective. "Sometimes you forget that there are other people in the world going through so much. Those Elric brothers have been to hell and back…"

Winry didn't reply. She didn't know what to say that would contribute to the deep conversation Riza was having.

"I thought it was the end for me when Roy left. We were going to do so much here. Retire from the military, get mundane jobs, start a family… When he left, I thought there'd be nothing, and now that it has been so long, all I do now is dread the day where his death is revealed to me. But death is a natural part of life. We shouldn't mourn for those who've gone because we'll never see them again, but rather celebrate for the wonderful times we did spend together, and we did spend so many together,"

"I have to agree," Winry said. She remembered her first experience with death, when it was revealed that her parents had been killed in Ishbal. She never thought she'd be able to get over it, but somehow, she had gotten through it, just like Edward and Alphonse had done when their mother had died, and just like what Riza was going through now.

"I still hope he will one day return," Riza said finally, "But I feel that perhaps now I can accept it if he cannot…"


	13. Coming Home

Everything's Not Lost

**Chapter.13 – Coming Home**

Roy stumbled across the fields, feeling weak and tired. It had been three days since he last had something to eat and he was feeling weaker and weaker each day. He knew he was getting closer though the more he walked along the river, but the further he went, the more paranoid he became that the guards might be there behind him, closing in on him.

It had started to snow in the past recent days, and every night when Roy went to sleep, he woke up to find himself submerged deeper and deeper in the snow. He'd luckily been able to find two pieces of flint, which when rubbed together created sparks. Roy had used his alchemy skills to turn the small sparks into a roaring fire, and he spent those nights sleeping in the warmth of his own creation.

On this day, he'd been walking for 3 hours since he had woken up, and he found himself stumbling down the rocky side of the river that had since frozen up due to the cold weather. Roy wandered to the river, scratching an alchemy symbol into the ground, and rubbing his flint together, he created a fire, which melted a portion of the ice. He dipped his hands into the water, bringing it to his mouth and drinking from it. The cold water seemed to revive him, but without food he was still feeling weak. He yawned and stretched his arms, feeling tired from walking. He rubbed the back of his neck where he felt the bumps of scabs. In a flash, the memories came back as he remembered his wound. He poked at the scab, which wasn't hurting anymore, and he quickly realised that his neck wound had healed up perfectly. He smiled to himself for the first time in weeks, but stop as his stomach lurched from hunger. He looked around, desperately searching for something to eat when he realised something important. He'd been down this river before… The river led directly to Risemboul, which meant he was nearly there! Forgetting all his fatigue, Roy set off into a brisk run, rushing down the riverside and towards the river's end, which would ultimately be Risemboul. He ran and ran, panting for breath as the trees and snow rushed past him in a flurry of colours. He'd nearly made it; he'd nearly made it back to Risemboul!

Suddenly, the river turned gradually to the right, and Roy stopped as he looked out ahead, spotting the large fields of Risemboul. He could see his house in the distance, and a small wisp of smoke coming out from the Rockbell house. He deduced that Riza would most probably be staying at the Rockbell house, and he slowly wandered over towards Risemboul. He quickly found himself on the dirt paths, all of which he knew his way around. All around him were fields of snow, some of which had footprints engraved into them, and others that didn't. There was nobody around, which was unsurprising considering how cold it was outside. Roy's heart started racing as he came closer to the Rockbell's house. He could see it ahead in the distance, looming up as he came nearer and nearer to it. Soon enough, he was at the gate of the house, and with nervous anticipation, he approached the house slowly. He stepped up onto the porch, and held out his hand to knock on the door when a gust of wind slowly opened it for him. He stepped inside, looking around for any signs of life. He couldn't see any, and he wandered around the house, finding some scrap metal on the table. He picked up one piece, inspecting it when he heard a clatter behind him. He turned around and saw no one there and then stepped away from the table, wandering around it instead. He then heard the cocking of a gun, and froze still. The guards had followed him inside.

"Don't move," came a voice. It was female. Roy's heart froze as he instantly realised who it was. "I've got a clear shot at your head, and I am unlikely to miss,"

Roy grinned. He knew she was unable to miss. Out of all the soldiers he knew, she was the best shot.

"I'm fully aware of your skills Miss Hawkeye," Roy said slowly.

"It's Mrs Mustang…" Riza said. With that, Roy slowly turned around, and saw Riza standing there pointing a long shotgun at him. Her eyes widened upon seeing him, and she slowly pointed the gun away from him.

"Roy…?" she muttered, "Roy?"

She then dropped the gun, running into Roy's arms.

"Oh Roy!" she sobbed, burying herself into him, "Oh God… You're alive, you're alive!" She looked up, looking into Roy's eyes as she kissed him. All of her anxieties and worries disappeared in a flash as she stood there in Roy's arms.

"Riza…" he began to say, when he suddenly fell in a heap on the ground, and his vision blurred out again…


	14. You Found Me

Everything's Not Lost

**Chapter.14 – You Found Me**

When Roy woke up, he found himself lying in a warm bed with Riza sitting by his side, her face beaming with delight. He also spotted Winry Rockbell standing by the door, with Edward and Alphonse Elric standing behind her.

"How… What… Wait…" He began. Riza reached out her hand, placing two of her fingers on his lips.

"Shh…" she whispered, "just relax, you're in no state to be doing anything right now,"

Roy looked around and then shuffled up the bed, leaning his back against the wall. He could see Riza more clearly now, who was holding his left hand.

"How long have I been asleep for?" he asked.

"It's been about 2 days," she said, "how did you do it?" she then asked him, "How did you manage to make it all the way back here on your own?"

Roy closed his eyes for a brief moment, trying to remember how he had actually done it.

"It's a long story," he said to her.

"I've got time…" she replied.

He began his story then, explaining how he had sent her letters, which apparently didn't seem to arrive. He explained how he slipped out of the hospital, and started walking back to Risemboul. About how there were a small group of soldiers on horses who were constantly following him. About Finn, who he'd lost, and the boat, which was attacked by the soldiers. About the pub he and Finn had gone too where the landlord had sold them out to the military. About his escape plan before he was about to get shot, where he used his alchemy skills to escape. About how badly burnt his hands had become, and about how he had wandered down the river back to Risemboul. When he finished his story, he noticed that Winry, Edward and Alphonse had all wandered into the room, and sat down and listened to his story. He looked up at Riza, smiling.

"I'm so glad to see you again," he said, and he leant over, kissing her. "Tell me, what did you do whilst I was away?"

Riza looked down at the floor, telling Roy about how she was unable to deal with the loss of him, and how Pinako and Winry had welcomed her in. About how Winry had taught her to make automail, and how the Elric brothers had unexpectedly turned up out of nowhere. Roy then turned his attention to the Elric brothers, who were sitting down by the bed.

"And what are you two doing here?" he asked them. Edward looked away, not wanting to explain himself to Roy. "You have a duty to fight, why have you abandoned your people?"

"And you're any better?" Edward replied, "You who also abandoned the war…"

"I was sent out of the war to die…" Roy said. He then turned his head around, showing the brothers the healed wound on his neck, "They didn't think this would heal, and that it would get so badly infected that it would kill me. I was pretty much there to die… What else could I do? Give in? Die there amongst other men suffering and screaming each night? You should know that I'm not the kind to just play by the rules," He grinned, and Ed looked up, grinning too. Roy knew why they had deserted; he just liked to order them around.

"Yeah well, as a deserter, you can't tell us what to do," Edward said, standing up and wandering to the door, "Get better soon," he said finally, wandering out of the door. Alphonse stood up, bowing politely as he rushed on after his brother. His armour clanking with every step he took.

"It's so good to see you're okay," Winry said, smiling at Roy.

"It's good to feel okay. Thank you so much for taking care of Riza for me as well," he said, he squeezed Riza's hand briefly, and Riza turned to face him, smiling at him. Winry smiled as she stood up, exiting the room.

"I'll leave you two to it," she said, closing the door. Riza looked at Roy, leaning over and kissing him.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him.

"I'm feeling ready for absolutely anything," Roy said, winking. Riza smiled as she leant over, passionately kissing him as she rolled onto the bed.

"Thank you…" she said, kissing him again.

"For what?" Roy asked.

"For finding me…"


	15. DOA

Everything's Not Lost

**Chapter.15 – DOA**

Winry was down in the basement, busy trying to finish off Edward's automail. He was busy waiting in the waiting room whilst Winry added a few final touched to the model. After an hour or so, Riza wandered down into the basement, a pleasant grin stretched across her face.

"How is he?" Winry asked.

"Much better," Riza said, stretching her arms, "How's Ed's automail coming along?"

"Nearly finished now. I don't know if you're still interested in learning about automail, but I could do with some help attaching Ed's new limbs on."

"Sure, I'll help," Riza answered, and Winry looked up, smiling at her. She quickly screwed one last screw into place and smiled as she held up Ed's new arm and leg. She handed the leg over to Riza and rushed up the stairs to Edward, who was sitting on the couch, looking tired.

"Done it!" Winry exclaimed, beaming at her new handiwork. "We'll have this on you in no time!"

Edward groaned, he never enjoyed having his automail put back on. He quickly slipped out of his clothes, revealing some blue boxers on underneath.

"Good colour…"

Edward glanced up, finding Roy leaning against the wall at the foot of the stairs. He turned his head, frowning as he waited for Winry and Riza to put them on. Winry went over to his arm, slipping the automail into the slot. There were handles on the automail that would be pulled to effectively plug the automail in. Riza was busy sliding the leg into its place, and they counted down to three before they pulled the handles. On three, both Winry and Riza pulled the handles, and Ed tensed up, wincing at the pain created. He went slightly limp as Winry took her spanner and screwdriver, trying to unscrew the handle from its place. Riza busied herself doing the same to his leg. In no time at all, Ed's automail was successful grafted on, and he stood up, flexing his muscles and testing the automail.

"Once again Winry you've done a brilliantly fantastic job." he said, smiling and giving Winry a thumb up with his new automail. Winry smiled and gave Ed a thumb up back. "Right, sadly me and Alphonse have to leave immediately…"

Winry's smile dropped. She'd been hoping that Ed and Al would stay a little longer.

"Why can't you stay a little longer?" she asked. Ed looked back at her, busy slipping into his trousers and putting his top back on.

"We need to search for more leads. There's a place up north that we need to get to as soon as possible, I'm sorry for busting out like this, but it's important for us." Ed then turned around, putting his coat on as he left the house, Alphonse bowing courteously as he then followed him. Winry sighed as Riza came and sat down by her, putting her arm on her back.

"Don't worry Winry," she said soothingly.

"I know how the Elric brothers work," Roy said, contributing to the conversation, "They've always been like this, shirking responsibilities, not listening to those who're saying something important. But in the end, they always end up doing the right thing…"

He turned around, wandering back up the stairs as Winry nodded.

"It's okay… I just forget sometimes… They've always been the ones wandering around, searching for a way to find their bodies, and I've always been here, waiting for the day when they'll return,"

Riza smiled as she rubbed Winry's back. Winry stood up and wandered down the stairs and into the basement. Obviously to work on another piece of automail, Riza thought. She wandered upstairs to have a talk with Roy, and for the rest of the day, nothing much happened, until late in the afternoon, the front door of the house burst open. Riza, who was in the room at the time, jumped with shock as she looked around, finding Alphonse standing there at the door with Edward in his hands, bleeding.

"Alphonse, what happened!" Riza asked, rushing over to help. Winry ran up from the basement as Roy ran down the stairs. Alphonse placed Edward down on the couch and turned to the others whilst Winry rushed over, tending to Edward.

"What happened Alphonse," Roy said, his face looking full of anger.

"We were attacked, these men on horses. They had guns and they spotted us, saying that 'they' were looking for us. I tried to protect Ed, but before he had the chance to use alchemy, he got shot. I then feigned to get shot myself, and they all rushed off, believing the two of us to be dead,"

"It'll be one of you at the very least if someone doesn't get me some surgical tools. Alphonse, take him into the operating room, he's lost a lot of blood and he won't hold out much longer!"

Alphonse carefully picked up his brother, whose skin had gone a pale white colour. He rushed him into the operating room where he had once waited outside when Ed was having automail installed. Roy and Riza both followed in and watched as Alphonse placed him down on the table as Winry put on a surgical mask and took out some equipment. She ripped Ed's shirt, her stomach churning at the sight of all the blood oozing from the wound the bullet had created.

"I need everyone out now," she said, looking at Alphonse, Riza and Roy, "I need concentration for this. They all walked out of the room, Roy closing the door behind him and turning to Alphonse.

"Where were you and Ed when the soldiers attacked?" Roy asked.

"Huh?" stuttered Alphonse.

"Alphonse! This is important!" shouted Roy, "I need to know where you two were!"

"We'd walked north and were in one of the forests," Alphonse replied, "why?"

"Nevermind why," Roy snapped, "Tell me, where did the soldiers go after they attacked the two of you?"

"I think they went off the long way around to Risemboul, they're probably in the village by this rate,"

"That'll lead them straight here…" Roy said, "Shit… Riza, get your gun, Alphonse, find me some matches… They're coming right here, and we'd better be ready for when they do,"

At that moment, there was a sudden sound of galloping feet, and Roy swore as he rushed upstairs, looking out of the window. Riza and Alphonse quickly followed up, and saw in the distance the band of soldiers all riding along the dirt tracks. Roy watched as they rode along to his and Riza's house, and Roy realised that the residents in the village must have told them where he lived. They watched anxiously as they waited at the house for about 5 minutes before getting back onto their horses and riding towards the Rockbell's house. Roy swore loudly as he turned around.

"They're coming here, quickly, get ready now!"


	16. Leaving Hope

Everything's Not Lost

**Chapter.16 – Leaving Hope**

The sky was pitch black in Risemboul, and the moon shone a light that lit up the small dirt paths of Risemboul. The group of soldiers rode along towards the Rockbell house. The local residents had told them that Roy and Riza Mustang lived there, but Roy had gone to war, and that Riza was now living with the Rockbells. The soldiers found no one at the Mustang place of residence, and had therefore decided to go and check the Rockbell's to see if Riza was there so they could question her, or better yet, if Roy was there. The closer they got, the more they could make out the figures of three people standing by the house. One was wearing armour, which only a few minutes ago, they had seen in the forest with a short blonde guy. The other two, they recognised as Roy and Riza Mustang. They grinned as they took out their guns.

"Look here boys!" shouted the blonde soldier, "We done found ourselves outlaws!"

There was a sudden explosion of a gun, and the blonde soldier fell of his horse with incredibly speed. The rest of the soldiers stopped in their tracks, watching as smoke slowly came out of Riza's gun she was holding. She was holding a shotgun in her hand, and she used the pump action, ready to fire again.

"You can all go now, or just face death," Roy shouted out to them. "Take your pick now,"

There was laughter from the soldiers as they charged towards them. The fight began so quickly that it was difficult to recall exactly when it started. Roy ducked to avoid the swipe of a sword one of them was holding. He had drawn transmutation circles into the ground, and was busy lighting matches, changing the oxygen density within the air to send explosions of fire along to the men. They were riding so quickly that many of Roy's explosions where short-lived. Riza was busy firing her weapon, constantly missing the soldiers. The three riders left were fast riders, and were riding in and out of Roy, Alphonse and Riza, dodging every one of their attacks. One of them fired a shot at Alphonse, hitting his helmet and sending it flying off his body. The soldier laughed at his false victory, believing that he had managed to kill him. Before he knew he was wrong, Alphonse had gotten back up, and hit him round the head, knocking him out instantly. He ended up slipping off his horse, which ran on down the road, his rider tangled in his reins. Alphonse swung around to see another Rider come at him. Alphonse reached up, grabbing him off of his horse, which ran off after the other horse. Riza was continuously firing her weapon, and had thrown her shotgun away in favour for her handguns. She managed to shoot the last rider off of his horse, but he managed to squeeze in a shot that clipped her arm. She screamed in pain as Roy rushed over to see if she was okay.

"Riza are you okay?" he screamed, holding her in his arms.

"It's fine, a flesh wound," she answered. At that moment, the solider with the sword swung his sword at Riza and Roy, who both dived out of the way. The soldier turned to Riza, hitting her quickly on the head with his elbow, sending her to the floor. Roy swore as he tried to get to Riza, but was blocked by the soldier. Alphonse was busy fighting the other soldier, whose gun had been crumpled by Alphonse. The other soldier continued to swing at Roy, who was diving out of the way to avoid his attacks. He then carefully swung his arms and legs, knocking the sword out of his hands.

"You're unarmed now," Roy said, grinning.

"You think so?" The soldier said, taking out his gun and firing it at Roy. Alphonse swung around, spotting Roy standing there, bewildered. The solider then fired again at Roy, and then again, and again, and again, emptying his entire gun into his body. Alphonse quickly swung back at the solder fighting him with all his might, quickly knocking him out cold. He then ran at the other soldier, diving on top of him and punching him around the face.

"You bastard!" he screamed, punching him again, and again, and again. Blood flew everywhere as he continued to punch him, and he then stopped, looking at the bloody soldiers face. He punched him one final time, knocking him out cold before going over to Roy, who was quivering on the floor.

"Roy," he said, not sure what to ask.

"Go… Check on… Riza," Roy coughed, blood dribbling down his mouth. Alphonse turned around, looking at Riza and then back at Roy. "Please…" he muttered. Alphonse nodded, walking over to Riza who was lying on the floor. He gently shook her, and she slowly woke up out of her stupor. She looked around, finding Roy lying on the floor. She got up, screaming as she went to his side.

"Roy!" she screamed, "Roy, oh god, not again… no…"

"Riza…" Roy said, "It's okay… You're safe… And I've seen you… again…"

Riza held Roy in her arms, his blood lit up by the moonlight. Tears streamed down her eyes as she watched Roy's eyes close, and his body go limp…


	17. The Setting Sun

Everything's Not Lost Chapter.17 – The Setting Sun

**~ 5 Years Later**

The sun was shining down in Risemboul, lighting up its green fields. Riza was sitting out on the porch, watching the sun begin to start setting down from behind the hills and fields.

"Look, the sun is setting," said a young voice. Riza looked down at the young boy sitting out on the lawn in front of her home, busy playing with a wooden train set. She smiled as she watched him play.

"Yes, It sure is Roy," she said. She then looked up at the sky, which was beginning to turn a dark blue colour. She remembered back to all those years ago when Roy Mustang Senior was by her side, and she was by his. For five years she had been raising his son, who was turning out to be just like his father. He was already beginning to look like him, with short black hair. He had his mothers eyes though, big golden eyes. He'd already discovered his dad's alchemy books, and it was only a matter of time before he'd start transmuting on a small scale. The thought of the future for her son made Riza smile, and she stood up, walking over to her son and stroking his hair before sitting down with him.

"Is Auntie Winry coming over?" Roy Junior asked. Riza smiled as she tried to remember if she was.

"Not sure, but we can go and visit her if you want to," Riza answered.

"Right now?" Roy Junior asked. Riza smiled as she nodded her head. "Yay!" he shouted, grinning his big wide grin. Riza smiled as she stood up, holding out her hand for him to hold as she slowly started walking down the dirt path towards Winry's house, the floods of memories rushing through her head.


	18. Everything's Not Lost Author's Response

Everything's Not Lost Chapter.18 – Everything's Not Lost – Author's Response

If you're reading this, then this means you're reading a page that is like a personal review of my fanfiction Everything's Not Lost. So if you dislike pretentious writing that goes on and on about what I did wrong, and all the references I put in, then leave. But if you're one of those rare people who are interested in learning a little bit more about this fanfiction, and leaving with some knowledge, then please, by all means continue reading.

I know a LOT of people are pissed off at the ending, and if I was a fan girl (which sadly is impossible. Gender bias), I'd be annoyed too, but somewhere in this pretentious mess is the answer to the ending.

For starters, I kept going on and on about how this FanFiction was based off Cold Mountain, a (boring) novel by Charles Frazier. Before I tell you how much it is based off it (short answer, everything) I should say that I had to study this book for A-Level English, and it was one of the worst books I ever read, and the film is no better! Nicole Kidman is terrible in it, no wonder she didn't get an Oscar, but Jude Law and Renee Zellweger did! But enough about the film, I'm not reviewing that. For starters, (and here, you can see how much my fanfiction rips it off), Cold Mountain is about a soldier called Inman who suffers a neck injury in a war, and because he doesn't want to have to die, he sets off on a journey back to Cold Mountain to see his wife Ada again. Meanwhile, Ada is distraught over how long her husband has been gone, and she leaves him for dead. Meanwhile, Ruby comes along to help her out, and Ada builds up independence. Eventually Inman returns, Ada is happy, they have sex, the home guard come calling, Inman fights, dies, Ada sprouts his baby, everyone lives a mediocre happy ending.

Right, bits that are direct references to the novel, Roy writing the letter, Roy finding someone who joins him on his travels (in the novel, it's someone called Veasy), Roy finding the family get murdered by the guards, Roy crossing the river and getting attacked by guards, Roy and Finn going to a pub which is actually a brothel, Roy nearly getting killed, Roy going home, Roy having 'implied' sex with Riza (did you pick up on that?) and so on. All of this happens in Cold Mountain. As for Riza, the only similarities are Riza being distraught, Winry coming to help her (In the novel, it's a Ruby). As for the Elric returning, in the novel, it's Ruby's father, who actually does get shot by the guards. Fun eh? All these references!

As for the chapters, I'm sure at least one of you guessed that every single chapter was named after a song. Sadly, only the name of the song holds the relevancy, and not the song's integrity (which is pathetic right? For someone who ladles it heavily with references to a book, couldn't I reference meaning from a song? No!) Anyway, I thought perhaps someone might be interested in checking out all the songs, so here is the list of everything.

Chapter Heading Explanations

Chapter.1 – Us & Them – Pink Floyd (refers to Roy and the others in the hospital)

Chapter.2 – Fog (Again) – Radiohead (refers to the fog in Risemboul)

Chapter.3 – I See Red – Clannad (refers to the red colour of blood)

Chapter.4 – Wires to Flying Birds – The Veils (refers to the final image of the bird on the telephone wires)

Chapter.5 – Is There Anybody Out There? – Pink Floyd (refers to Roy wondering who is out there in the forest)

Chapter.6 – Remember A Day – Pink Floyd (refers to Riza reminiscing)

Chapter.7 – Across the River – Peter Gabriel (refers to Roy's journey across the river)

Chapter.8 -滴いっぱいの記憶 (A Drop Filled With Memories) – Susumu Hirasawa (refers to the memories Riza remembers)

Chapter.9 – Suspicion – R.E.M. – (refers to Roy's suspicion of the landlord)

Chapter.10 – Memories and Honesty – Gregory and the Hawk (refers to the memories Ed has, and his honesty in them)

Chapter.11 – Escape – Muse (refers to Mustang's escape)

Chapter.12 – Memorial – Explosion in the Sky (refers to the memorial of Ed and Al's past, in the form of their house, and the graveyard)

Chapter.13 – Coming Home – Dallas Green (refers to Roy finally making it home)

Chapter.14 – You Found Me – The Fray (refers to Riza's line of telling Roy that he found her)

Chapter.15 – DOA – Foo Fighters (refers to Ed being almost dead when he arrives back at the Rockbells)

Chapter.16 – Leaving Hope – Nine Inch Nails (refers to how hope is lost when Roy is dying)

Chapter.17 – The Setting Sun – Switchfoot (refers to the sun that is setting)

Wow, that was pretentious eh? Back to the explanation of the fanfiction, and the most important thing of all. Is Roy Mustang dead or not? My problem was that in the novel, Inman is shot after getting it on with Ada, but considering the fan girls of Roy Mustang, I didn't think I'd get away with it as well, so what I did was just leave it open to interpretation. For those who want to believe he died, he had an entire gun emptied into him, and that in Cold Mountain, Inman died. For those who want to believe he's okay, and just wasn't around in the final chapter, then reason with that it's never said that he died, and that Winry is a surgeon in technical terms. So there, everyone can be happy!

Oh, and the other thing that might be on your minds, Riza, having a child? Did I make them have implied sex? Hmmm… Yes I'd say! In direct reference to the novel, they got it on, but sadly for those into that kind of thing, I didn't write it in, cause this isn't an M rated fanfiction (Though perhaps I should've made it that, and made it more gory and more swearing, like my other fan fictions). Anyway, yeah. Roy got his freak on,

Oh, and what was about Riza's memory of Roy taking her into his house and telling her a story? When did that happen? The answer is that it didn't. It's just another fan-fiction I wrote called Bullet Proof… I Wish I Was (but for the love of God, don't read it. My writing style was terrible then!)

For the more boring bits, if there was something I could change (cause I always do this), then I would change the length. I rushed through the story cause I didn't want to drag it out as much as it was done in the original novel. But there was so much more I could've put in. Roy meeting crazy goat lady! (That'd be fun) or Roy meeting the lonely woman who he shares a bed with (That'd be fun too!). Inman did all of this in Cold Mountain, but I didn't let Roy do it. Ain't I a stinker!

So in conclusion, I thank you for reading my extremely dull fanfiction, and next time, I recommend you read a more clichéd one, where Riza and Roy have a happy ending. (For the love of God, I will never write that… Angst all the way! Or implied angst.) ((Oh yes, I do prattle on!))


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